System and method for automatic configuration and management of home network devices using a hierarchical index model

ABSTRACT

A system for automatically installing and managing devices in a home network implements automated configuration and maintenance of devices and peripherals. A service platform facilitates automated discovery and deployment of home networks and devices that interact with the network. The system includes a monitoring and learning processes for automatic issue detection and alerting. Activity of users and devices within the home are monitored, usage patterns are learned and applied back to the system to improve the digital performance of the home. This system leverages data center, service node, and agent software in the devices to access a knowledge base storing data regarding home entities. A hierarchical index model is used to assign intelligence levels to these entities based on certain parameters. The indices are used to direct alert messages, take an action, and implement a targeted facility for providing communications from network managers or service providers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/758,755, filed Apr. 12, 2010, which itself is acontinuation-in-Part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/251,412, entitled “System and Method for Automatic Configuration andManagement of Home Network Devices,” filed Oct. 14, 2008, which itselfclaims priority form U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/998,820,entitled “Distributed System and Method for Facilitated AutomaticConfiguration, Maintenance, and Diagnostics of a Local Area Network thatin Parallel Provides for the Interoperability of Connected IntelligentIndependent Computing Devices using Physical Layer, network Layer andApplication Layer Programmatic Interfaces,” filed Oct. 12, 2007, bothapplications of which are incorporated by reference in its entiretyherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments relate generally to electronic consumer devices, and morespecifically to facilitating the automatic installation and managementof devices in a home network environment.

BACKGROUND

Home networks have evolved from residential local area networks forconnecting computers and associated devices, such as printers anddisplays, to comprehensive systems that interconnect many types ofelectronic consumer devices that can be centrally managed. Manydifferent devices, produced by different vendors and utilizing differentresources and service requirements are being developed for use in homenetworks. With each device, there are usually large numbers ofparameters that must be properly set to ensure compatibility andfunctionality within the network. At present, configuration managementfor home networks typically entails a high degree of user interactionwith the applications and device, and potentially high level ofinteraction with service providers, application vendors, or other thirdparty content providers. This is often a time consuming and frustratingprocess for homeowners and installation personnel.

Home networking technology has essentially been synthesized down frombusiness enterprise networking technology where companies haveinformation technology (IT) teams to manage, maintain, and trouble shootproblems with their networks. Home networks are typically difficult toset-up for the average mass-market consumer, and when something goeswrong, or there are problems with a device connected to a home network,the consumer does not know where or how to diagnose or knowledgablyrepair the problem, causing significant frustration and potentially lostuse of their network and/or connected device. As such, in contrast to abusiness, when a device is to be connected or set-up or problems arisewith home networks, the consumer must either learn the managementprocesses themselves, or seek other trained third-party informationtechnology specialist to help.

One of the drivers for a consumer purchase of a home network is aninterest/need for having and/or sharing a high-speed (broadband)Internet connection. The businesses that provide these connections(commonly known as Internet Service Providers or ISP) to consumerhouseholds must manage their own infrastructure technology to deliverthe expected service to the home. Consequently, the technology fordevice management is often deployed within the networks of ISPs toprovision and deliver the service to a connection point/gateway devicein the home. Installation requires the consumer or a third-party toconnect either a network-enabled personal computer or separate homenetworking device(s) to that connection point/gateway in order to accessand make use of the Internet services within the home. The devicemanagement system enables the ISP to manage and control their networkdevices to the gateway, but the system lacks the ability to manage thevarious network capable devices beyond the gateway point that may beused and connected throughout the consumer's home network. When problemsarise with a home network, the consumer most often contacts the ISP tohelp them identify and solve the problem. Because the ISPs devicemanagement technology cannot manage the devices other than their gatewaydevice, problem resolution is manually managed with the consumer, and isoften done by trial-by-error. This process is costly to the ISP andfrustrating to the consumer.

Third-party IT service companies have increasingly been providingnetwork management services for enterprises, and these markets haveexpanded to provide similar services to consumer households to supporthome networks and connected devices. However, service to home networksby third-parties is typically only done when the consumer requestsservice to repair a problem/episode when identified by the consumer, andtypically requires a technician to be on-site at the home or remotelyprovide the service. For managing their services, some of these servicecompanies have deployed limited information systems to store detailsabout services they provide to a consumer that is collected manually bythe technician when he is at the consumer home. Most present systems donot maintain information about the specific configuration or state ofthe home network that is being serviced, or about the other home devicesthat may be similarly configured. Manufacturers of home networkingfocused devices and services may attempt to apply technology tofacilitate the transparent and automated set-up of consumer networkingdevices and implement efficient service models for their products. Atbest, however, the manufacturers and service providers can only providean isolated view of only an individual product.

Certain systems have been developed for personal computers (PC) thatprovide utilities for a home networking and management, and run on astandard operating system (e.g., Windows XP or Vista) to providenotifications of basic home network problems as they arise and suggestself-directed fixes to the end-user. However, these systems require theconsumer to install the software on each PC on the home network(assuming the each target PC is in good operating order). Suchapplications do not work on devices other than PCs, and require that theconsumer understands the basic principals of home networking, as wellthe configuration parameters of the network connected devices. Mostconsumers do not have this understanding, and for those that do, networksetup and maintenance is often a very tedious and time consumingprocess. Moreover, these applications can typically only recognize andaddress problems on an individual device-by-device basis, and are thuslimited in scalability.

Within a particular household, there are typically a wide range ofusers, devices, and applications that are in use for various differentpurposes. Certain parameters regarding usage and external informationcan be used to facilitate the management and control of the homenetwork. Present home network and home network management systems do notoffer efficient means for usage information to be transmitted tomanufacturers and managers, nor do they facilitate the creation andtransmission of directed content and services to home network users.Manufacturers and service providers typically contact users based onscheduled notices or in response to specific user queries or complaints.Such contact and communication is usually not based on any sort ofintelligence that is generated within the network itself.

What is needed, therefore, is a system that assesses and uses customerbehavior, usage, and market information to allow service providers todirect communication and services to the customer in a manner that isdriven and adapted to actual user needs and status.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of exampleand not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in whichlike references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a computer network system 100 that implements one ormore embodiments of a home network management system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the functional components of a servicenode, under an embodiment.

FIG. 3A illustrates an external representation of a service node, underan embodiment.

FIG. 3B illustrates an external representation of a service node, underan alternative embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a table that illustrates an example of user privilegerestrictions for use with a managed computer system, under anembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates a method of home networkinstallation, under an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of installing a new deviceinto a home network, under an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a table that illustrates actions associated with addition of anew device in a managed home network, under an embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a first level display page for a web-based userinterface for the home network portal, under an embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the display of a network topology,under an embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example web page for a device view of the homenetwork management user interface, under an embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example web page for a services view of the homenetwork management user interface, under an embodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of an action item display area, under anembodiment.

FIG. 13 is an example of a client computer interface screen to theservice node system, under an embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a table that lists profile indices for user types and classeswithin a managed digital home, under an embodiment.

FIG. 15A illustrates the mapping of Maslow's hierarchy levels to homenetworking needs, under an embodiment.

FIG. 15B illustrates the mapping of Maslow's hierarchy levels to digitalproductivity needs, under an embodiment.

FIG. 15C illustrates the mapping of Maslow's hierarchy levels to digitalentertainment needs, under an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a process flow diagram that illustrates the creation anddevelopment of a profile index matrix by the index generator process,under an embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of building and modifyingthe indices of the profile index matrix, under an embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating the creation of a profile indexthrough logic/analysis components and data base structures, under anembodiment.

SUMMARY

There are several discrete steps required for establishing a homenetwork. Under present systems, consumers are required to launch and runsoftware application utility wizards on the PCs that they want toconnect to a home network and through additional software, set-upcritical networking devices, such as a router. The computer industry hasattempted to automate the process with the introduction of standardssuch as Universal Plug and Play (UPnP Forum). This standard has longbeen seen as a way for home networking and consumer device manufacturersto ease and automate the set-up and discovery of devices on homenetworks. However, UPnP while widely available, has not yet reached itsgoal as an ubiquitous application for device discovery and networkconfiguration, due largely to the complexity of the device interfacesand because of the failure of device manufacturers to completelyimplement the standard into their product lines. Additionally some homenetworking devices also require additional interaction by the consumerto complete the set-up.

Embodiments of a method and system for automatically installing andmanaging consumer devices in a home network environment are described. Asystem implements automated configuration and maintenance of devices andtheir peripherals that connect to the home network, in particular theestablishment of a distributed system that serves as a service platformwhich facilitates automated discovery and initial and ongoing deploymentof a home networks and the devices that may interact with or connect totheir network automatically or through manual means. An embodiment isdirected to a distributed system and method for facilitated automaticconfiguration, maintenance, and diagnostics of a local area network thatin parallel provides for the interoperability of connected intelligentindependent computing devices using physical layer, network layer andapplication layer programmatic interfaces. This distributed systemprovides a generalized aggregated interface that is a programmaticresource for representing a continuous and historic reference of a localnetwork and connected devices. Embodiments include a holistic digitaldevice service delivery across a home network through the integration ofa facilitated device management system and maintaining a separate systemthat enables and facilitates a managed home network. It is a distributedsystem that takes advantage of both a 3-tier and N-tier architecture.The system is composed of an Internet-based collection of host computersystems, an embedded intelligent system appliance, intelligent softwareagents, and cross-platform personal computer software. The systemessentially provides an aggregation resource that collects and providesto a service provider a holistic view of the entire network context interms of the devices, applications, and interconnections among devicesin the network. The system provides the ability to effect change in thenetwork based on the context of the network.

Embodiments of the home network management system also include amonitoring and learning system for automatic issue detection andalerting. This process monitors the activity of users and devices withinthe home, learns usage patterns, obtains certain external market dataand then applies this learning back to the network management system toimprove the digital performance of the home. This system leverages thedata center in network, the service node and client-side processes inthe home, and agent software resident in the intelligent devices in thehome to connect a knowledge base that stores data regarding certain homeentities. The entities within the home are categorized as household,user, device, application and community. Each entity is further brokendown into three usage classes, networking, productivity, andentertainment. The usage class denotes the predominate usage functionfor a particular entity. A hierarchical index model is used to assignintelligence levels to each usage class for these entities based oncertain parameters. The indices reflect the relative satisfactionachieved by an entity for a particular usage. In an embodiment, theindices are ranked along a psychological need ranking that ranges frombasic needs to higher order cognitive and social needs. As conditionswithin the home change, such as time, device usage, user changes,upgrades, problems, market conditions, and so on, the indices areupdated to track the performance of the digital home. The indices can beused to generate customized services and communications to specificentities, such as by helping direct alert messages, instructions,suggestions, and other targeted communications from the network manageror service providers.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Each publication, patent, and/or patent application mentioned in thisspecification is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to thesame extent as if each individual publication and/or patent applicationwas specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated byreference.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various examples are given forillustration, but none are intended to be limiting. The embodimentsdescribed herein provide a system for the installation, detection, andmanagement of consumer devices in a home network environment. Theembodiments described herein include a system for managingconfigurations of wired and wireless devices in a home network and theinterface with a data center and one or more service providers tomaintain these devices. An index-based home network monitoring system isimplemented for auto issue detection and alerting. Activity, usagepatterns, trends, and external market data are analyzed compiled andapplied back to the home management system to improve the digitalperformance of home.

Aspects of the one or more embodiments described herein may beimplemented on one or more computers executing software instructions.The computers may be networked in a client-server arrangement or similardistributed computer network. FIG. 1 illustrates a computer networksystem 100 that implements one or more embodiments of a home networkmanagement system. As shown in FIG. 1, the overall environment 100comprises a home 102 containing a number of electronic and computingdevices coupled to one or more other entities over a network 111. Thehome can include a number of consumer electronic devices 106 thatperform various functions or provide various services, such ascomputing, entertainment, lighting and security, information managementand so on. Examples of such device include televisions, CD/DVD players,cable access boxes, satellite boxes, computers, game consoles, stereoequipment, digital cameras, video cameras, home appliances, securitysensors, and any other type of consumer device. Each device 106 runs anagent process 108 that allows the device to be configured via a servicenode 104. The service node represents a customer premise equipmentdevice that is configured to communicate with and facilitate themanagement of any number of compatible devices 106. The service node 104includes a number of functional components that provide device and filesystems management 105, communication functionality 107, and userinterface functionality 109, as well as other functions. The servicenode essentially accomplishes the tasks of facilitating the managementof the home local area network (LAN), monitoring the operational aspectsof each of the devices 106 within the LAN, executing various policies,performing integrity checks, and facilitating the remote processing ofthe system, including software updates and diagnostics. The policies caninclude service provider policies that dictate how a service providerwishes to manage a device; device specific policies, such asconfiguration options; and system specific policies, such as userprivileges, resource sharing, and security protocols.

The service node may be coupled, either through wired or wirelesscommunication links to the devices 106 and a home client computer 110.In one embodiment, the home client 110 executes a client-side process112, which provides a comprehensive graphical user interface for displayand input control of the functions provided by the service node. Theclient-side process 112 is a browser-based application that provides aview into the deployed service node system. The client-side processrepresents a client portal application that allows the homeowner orsystem administrator to monitor connected devices 106 in the homenetwork. The home client computer 110 may be any type of workstation orpersonal computer class device, such as a PC, notebook computer,personal digital assistant, or similar computing device. Alternatively,home client 110 may be a mobile client device, such as a cell phone,smartphone, or any mobile communication device that provides access tothe home network environment and has a sufficient degree of user inputand processing capability to interface with the service node 104, aswell as sufficient capabilities to display a reasonably comprehensiveuser interface page. The client computer 110 may be coupled to theservice node 104 over a wired connection, a wireless connection or anycombination thereof.

The agent process 108 is installed on each device 106 and acts as aproxy to the service node 104. Agents can be installed on any activedevice, that is, one that can store and execute programs supporting adefined operating system. Examples of such operating systems includeLinux, Microsoft® Windows XP™ or Vista™, Apple® Mac™ OS X, and so on.

The home network environment 102 is coupled to a data center 120, whichprovides various back office functions to support the functionality ofthe service node 104 within the home 102. The data center 120 includesone or more server computers 122 executing server side process 126 thatcomprises enterprise class software including automatic configurationserver (ACS) processes, operational support system (OSS) processes, andbusiness support systems (BSS), among others. In one embodiment, thenetwork 111 is the Internet network, and service node 104 and the datacenter 120 communicate through secure channels 101 over the Internetusing standard IP (Internet protocol) communication. The communicationmay be encrypted for secure transmission. A single data center maysupport any practical number of home environments 102, depending uponprocessing and storage capacity. The data center essentiallyaccomplishes the tasks of providing a provisioning mechanism for theservice node 104, recommending policies and updates for the home network102, providing an interactive view of the home network, and providing arepository for each home network through one or more data stores 124.The data center may be connected to the Internet through a securecommunication channel over a VPN (virtual private network) 103 orthrough an encrypted communication channel 101.

As shown in FIG. 1, the home network 102 and data center 120 are coupledto a service provider platform 114 through network 111. The serviceprovider may be any entity that provides technical support related toany of the devices 106 or home network infrastructure. Such entities maybe device manufacturers, retail establishments, computer consultants,telecommunication companies, network installation professionals, or anytype of service provider who may provide products or expertise utilizedby the homeowner or system administrator. In an embodiment, the homenetwork management system is designed to be implemented as part of anautomated managed home network service delivery platform that isprovided by a service provider 114, which may be a home IT ServicesCompany or Internet Service Provider/Broadband Service company to itsconsumer. Such a service can be offered by a third party. The serviceacts as an automated technical support technician that is capable ofmanaging all of the devices 106 configured for a customer's home networkwhile also providing its customer with simple facilities fornotification, integrated management console and access to theirsubscribed services. The service provider platform 114 may be connectedto the Internet through a secure communication channel over a VPN(virtual private network) 103 or through an encrypted communicationchannel 101.

In system 100, the home LAN 102 is coupled, directly or indirectly, toone or more server computers 122 or other resource computers through oneor more possible networks, such as wire or wireless (e.g., cellular)telephone networks and/or the Internet 110. The network interfacebetween server computers and the client computers may include one ormore routers 130 that serve to buffer and route the data transmittedbetween the server and client computers. Network 111 may be theInternet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or anycombination thereof. The client-side 112 and server-side 122 processesmay represent one or more executable programs modules that are storedwithin an associated computer and executed locally within the computer.Alternatively, however, they may be stored on a remote storage orprocessing device coupled to the associated computer or network 111 andaccessed by the computer to be locally executed. In a furtheralternative embodiment, the server-side process 126 may be implementedin a plurality of different program modules, each of which may beexecuted by two or more distributed server computers coupled to eachother, or to network 111 separately. In an embodiment in which network111 comprises the Internet, a web server process comprises a gateway fordata center 120 communication with the client. The web server can be aseparate web server or, in some cases, it may be a process executedlocally in server 122.

In one embodiment, the client device 110 executes a client-side process112 to interact with the server-side process 122 and to allowimplementation of configuration changes autonomously on the mobiledevice. A separate content provider, e.g., service provider 114 mayprovide some of the data that is included in the configurationmanagement process. Data for any of the configuration parameters, rules,and the like may be provided by a data store 116 or 124 closely orloosely coupled to any of the servers 122 or service provider platforms114. The client-side process 112 represents agent code that resides onthe home client computer. This agent code provides user interfacefunctionality for the service node 104, as well as management of thedevices 106 through proxy and proxy agent emulator routines. For anembodiment in which the service node operates as a standalone unit withno client computer support, the service node executes agent emulationcode that runs locally on the service node.

The service node 104 can be configured to provide a user interfaceportal to the managed home system that is accessed through a web browserfrom either the home computer 110, a server computer 122, or the nodedevice itself 104. This portal can also be accessed by other externalcomputers, such as remote client computer 140. The remote client 140runs a web browser process that accesses the home LAN 102 through theInternet 111. This provides a virtual link 141 to the home client 110and/or the service node 104. The remote client 140 allows a user toaccess the home LAN through an external computer. It also allowsauthorized agents (e.g., tech personnel) to access the home LAN 102.Appropriate security policies can be established to ensure onlyauthorized access to the system.

The system of FIG. 1 provides a comprehensive home network managementsystem that provides great improvement over prior products based onisolated utility applications that perform separate hardware, software,and network test functions, and require installation of separate devicemanagement gateway application tools, and remote specialist support tospecific client computers. System 100 allows a service provider 114 todeliver a managed integrated service that combines probes, intelligentagents 108, and automated systems to solve the user's problems withtheir home networks and devices before they are aware a problem mayexist. Additionally, unlike existing systems, the combined diagnosis,repair, maintenance, and management can be done without the serviceproviders' customer having detailed technical knowledge.

In general, the service node processes are based on service orientedarchitecture (SOA) principals. For both the home environment 102 and thedata center 120, the required functionality is deployed usingstandards-based frameworks. Every system entity, including the servicenode 104 is modeled as a service and may take the role of a serviceprovider or a service requester, or both. A service may be a simplestandalone service or a composite service, and service discovery isperformed through a service registry.

Service Node

Within the home network environment 102, the service node 104 acts asthe central resource for managing devices 106 and interfacing to thedata center 120 and any available service providers 114. The client-sideprocess 112 executed on a home client 110 represents an alternativeinterface to the control functions provided by service node 104. Theservice node provides a framework that allows continuous deployment ofapplications and services in run-time. These include control functions,such as dynamic installation, updates, and activation/deactivation ofservices. The service node also provides integration points through highlevel application program interfaces (API) for third party integration.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the functional components of a servicenode, under an embodiment. The service node comprises a number ofdifferent functional modules and may be implemented as a layered anddistributed Java-based SOA framework. The service platform of theservice node provides the devices 106 with the APIs to register andadvertise their services in the service node. In turn, the service nodecan launch a single or composite service to accomplish one or morepre-defined tasks. In one embodiment, these tasks are modeled astemplates and executed within a workflow engine. Some of the processescan be executed automatically through a process of retrieving valuesfrom the data center 120, while others may require user intervention,such as requiring user action to approve the launch of an installation.The service node implements an OSGI (Open Services Gateway Initiative)framework to allow the devices and application to register theirservices in the service node's service directory. It also allows theentities to subscribe to and receive events signaling changes to theregistry for a given service.

In one embodiment, the service node system 200 is built around anembedded Linux kernel 220. The main functional components include devicedrivers 222 that control the devices 106, a screen manager 202 thatimplements the GUI functionality 109 of the service node, medial manager204 and connection manager 206. The service node 200 also includes acomprehensive file system that includes one or more databases, such asshared database 224 and protected database 226, and data structures fora registry 232, scripts 234, and adapters 236.

The service node 200 includes several protocol stacks that are supportedas part of network monitoring, management, and operations. The protocolstacks are wrapped in containers and viewed as a deployable servicewithin the entire home network management system.

The service node 200 also includes several different modules for variouscommunications protocols for interfacing with the devices 106. In oneembodiment, the service node implements the Universal Plug and Play(UPnP) protocol 250. UPnP is a set of computer network protocols thatallow the devices 106 to connect seamlessly in order to simplify theimplementation of networks in the home for data sharing, communications,and entertainment, and in corporate environments. UPnP achieves this bydefining and publishing UPnP device control protocols built upon open,Internet-based communication standards. The UPnP architecture allowspeer-to-peer networking of PCs, networked appliances, and wirelessdevices. It is a distributed, open architecture based on establishedstandards such as TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP and XML. Thus, communication can beover any protocol, such as UPnP, UDP, TCP-IP, Zero-conf, HTTP, or HTTPS.

In one embodiment, the service node takes the role of a UPnP controlpoint. A discovery task running on the service node performs first levelanalysis on the home LAN, creates a topology map and shares a subset ofresults with the data center 120. After the initial boot, self-check,and discovery tasks are completed, the service node checks for an IPconnection. If the Internet connection is available, the service noderegisters with the ACS server in the data center 120 through a protocolsuch as session initiation protocol (SIP) 240 or simple object accessprotocol (SOAP) 228.

Through the UPnP architecture, the service node 200 also supportszero-configuration (Zeroconf) networking. Under the Zeroconfspecification, a UPnP compatible device from any vendor can dynamicallyjoin a network, obtain an IP address, announce its name, convey itscapabilities upon request, and learn about the presence and capabilitiesof other devices. This provides for the discovery of local servicesthrough multicast DNS (domain name system) within a local network,usually without the need for configuration or special servers. Manydifferent Zeroconf solutions exist, such as Bonjour™ from Apple® Inc.,which uses multicast DNS and DNS Service Discovery.

As shown in FIG. 2, the service node 200 also includes several otherprotocols for implementing home network solutions. This includes theTR-069 specification 244 defined by the Broadband forum (DSL forum),which provides tools for auto-configuration and dynamic serviceprovisioning, software/firmware image management, status and performancemonitoring, diagnostics, and file download initiation through serverpush or client pull models. Other specifications that may be usedinclude SNMP, HTTPS, DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecification) 3.0, TR64, and TR69.

The service node 200 implements the simple network management protocol(SNMP) 248 to act as a network management agent (NMA), which gets highlevel instructions from the data center 120. The data center acts as anetwork management system (NMS) instructing the service node with “Get”and “Set” operations to executed on a target managed entity, such as arouter 130, computer 110, or other device 106. The Get and Setoperations are used to obtain status and to modify the properties of aparticular device, application or other entity.

The service node can also implement aspects of the OMA-DM protocoldefined by the Open Mobile Alliance for functions related to devicemanagement (DM), data synchronization (DS) and file downloads. This caninclude java-based protocols for downloading files and applications ontomobile devices through various over-the-air (OTA) protocols. The servicenode 200 also includes an automated configuration server (ACS) module211 that provides provisioning and maintenance functions for the servicenode. The ACS provides the primary control point for the service nodeand implements a web service API over secure channels.

The service node may be physically implemented in several differentembodiments. It may be provided as a set-top appliance that can bedirectly or indirectly coupled to the home computer 110 and the devices106, it may be provided as an add-in card or peripheral that is closelycoupled to the home computer 110, or it may be provided as firmwarefunctionality implemented through one or more of the devices 106 orcentral home devices, such as computer 110 or even router 130. In oneembodiment, the service node is implemented as a standalone unit (box)that can be centrally placed within an average size home. FIG. 3Aillustrates an external representation of a service node, under anembodiment. The service node unit 300 comprises a box that includes afront panel housing a user interface display, and one or more controlbuttons and interface ports. The user interface display 302 can be anysuitable type of electronic display such as a liquid crystal display(LCD) with either color or monochrome capability. It provides thegraphical output to the user and can display static or dynamic (video)images. The screen manager component 202 controls the content displayedon through display 302. This can include any information related to thehome network, such as topology, device status information, data centerinformation, service provider information, environmental information,and any other appropriate information. It may also serve as the outputdisplay for any of the devices, such as media playback devices, and thelike. The display can be configured to display certain information whenin default mode, such as current temperature, weather, time, andlocation information.

The control buttons 304 on the service node device include navigationbuttons 304 to navigate a cursor or text entry prompt within the displayarea 302. One or more other control buttons 306 and 308 may be providedto invoke specific functions of the control box, such as changingdisplay settings, access the data center, accessing specific servicenode functions, and so on.

User input to the device 300 may be provided by an integrated or closelycoupled keyboard, trackpad, mouse, or other similar input device. In analternative embodiment, the keyboard virtual keyboard accessed through atouch screen display. FIG. 3B illustrates an external representation ofa service node, under this alternative embodiment. In this embodiment,the display of device 316 comprises a display area 312 and atouch-screen portion 311. This touch screen portion may display one ormore user input objects, such as navigation buttons 322 and keypad entryarea 324. One or more physical control buttons 314 may also be provided.

The service node may include one or more different communicationinterfaces for transmission of data to and from the devices 106 and homecomputer 110. It may include one or more ports or wireless transceiversfor communication, depending on the communication protocols that areutilized. The service node unit may also include a voice recognitioncomponent to allow the use of spoken commands.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the service node unit includes a USB(universal serial bus) port 310 or 320. In an embodiment, the USB portis configured to accept a standard or custom USB flash drive that storesdata related to the home network. The flash drive is used to store andtransmit information among devices in the network, and, if necessary, tothe data center 129, and/or any service providers 114.

It should be noted that the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3Bare primarily for purposes of illustration, and many differentvariations are possible. The control box may be implemented in a box ofany practical shape and size, and made of any appropriate material. Thedisplay screen, control buttons, and interface ports may be provided onany side or surface of the box and in any desired configuration.

Data Center

The data center 120 comprises one or more server computers 122 executeda server-side process 126 that utilizes data provided by data store 124.In one embodiment, the server-side process 126 includes two sets ofenterprise applications used by the service provider 114. An automaticconfiguration server (ACS) is included to provide provisioning andmaintenance functions for the service node 104. As the primary controlpoint for the network management system, it implements a web service APIover secure channels. The second component comprises an operationalsupport software (OSS) and business support software (BSS) block. Thiscan be aggregated with a decision support system (DSS) for the technicalsupport staff of the service provider 114 through a web-based portal. Anenterprise service bus (ESB) can be used to integrate the internal andexternal systems of the data center 120. The data center stores theproperties of the physical, logical and service components of the homenetwork in a relational database within data store 124. The informationmaintained in the database can include user information, deviceinformation, applications, network protocols, service packages, usagehistory, problem logs, and any other appropriate information.

In certain implementations, use of devices 106 within home 100 may besubject to usage restrictions, such as parental controls, environmentalcontrols, and so on. In this case, the server-side process may beconfigured to control and store information related to such use, such asuser privileges, parental controls, usage history, usagecharacteristics, power consumption, and so on. In many home and officeenvironments that provide access to computer devices, user privilege isan important characteristic of installation and control. Varioussensitive resources, such as computer files, personal data, and otherresources may be exposed through use by family members and guests. Thedata center can be used to strictly enforce user access privileges inaccordance with defined rules. FIG. 4 is a table that illustrates anexample of user privilege restrictions for use with a managed computersystem, under an embodiment. For the example of FIG. 4, three classes ofuser are defined, users with password, users without a password, andguest users. Each class has different levels of access to resources,such as files, services (e.g., network access, web access, resident ordownloadable applications, etc.), printers, and other networked devices(e.g., game platforms, routers, etc.).

The data center may also be used to control the configuration of suchdevices, such as setting of certain security or access attributes andallowing for degrees of customization. For interfacing with serviceproviders 114, the data center may store information relating to supporthistory, such as application use, network maintenance, installationdetails, device configurations, service outages, and the like.

Management Operation

As shown in FIG. 1, the service node is configured to facilitate thecontrol any number of devices 106, each executing a corresponding agentprocess 108. In general, the devices can be adapted for use by thesystem or pre-configured for use by the system. For example, a serviceprovider may provide its customer with an appliance that can either beplugged peripherally into a PC, or directly into a working home network.Through the service node, the appliance automatically upon connectiondiscovers its connected environment and probes for other devices. Whendevices are discovered the appliance catalogs the devices, the resourcesand services available on the device. By regular catalog analysis, theservice node determines the best means for configuring the devices forstable network connection and application interoperation requirementswith the other devices as appropriate, and deploys intelligent agentswhich are able to facilitate configuration of the devices for which ishas been deployed.

In addition, the service node has an external facility for a forceddiscover process to manually begin an automated process to configuredevices for use and interoperation on the home network and integrated asdescribed above for inclusion in the catalog. The service node 104 andagent process 108 work together to proactively maintain a healthy homenetwork and provides the facility for delivering automated maintenancetasks in support to keep connected devices healthy. Both the servicenode and agent have facilities for notifying customers of problems thatcan not automatically be repaired. When a home network is connected tothe public Internet 110, the service node 104 and/or intelligent agent108 periodically connect to the data center host computer 120 through aweb services application interface. The data center 120 provides acollection of additional services made up of several databases whichrecord the catalog of the home network. At the request of the servicenode 104 and agent 108 it provides resources that enable the ongoingmaintenance and management of the home network and the devices in thecatalog.

Service providers 114 using the public Internet 110 can access the datacenter 120 through a web services application interface to obtaininformation regarding the customer's home network, such as last knownstate, and connected device configuration. The data center 120 isconfigured to provide the service provider 114 with a number ofresources to augment proprietary CRM (customer relationship management)systems relative to the information and as well deliver customer supportfor the managed home network subscriber. The data center 120 will alsoprovide automated resources for real-time interaction with the homenetwork when possible. The services delivered by the system are basedupon established standards of interoperation of the devices in thecatalog and executed by policies set by the service provider 114.

The service node 104 can be pre-configured for use in a particular homeenvironment 102 or it can be installed and configured for use in anyhome environment in conjunction with data center 120. In this case, theinstallation process involves connecting the service node to a homeclient computer 110 and executing an installation routine that accessthe data center 120 through a home router 130 or through the client 110.Once the service node is properly installed, the home network can be setup through registration of the devices 106 with the service node 104 andhome client 110. FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates a method of homenetwork installation, under an embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates a methodof performing full discovery of devices that may be connected throughwired or wireless connections to the service node. In block 502, theuser connects any wired devices to the service node and/or activates thewireless transceiver in the service node for communication with anywireless devices within range. The service node then performs a wiredscan of the connected devices, block 504. During the device discoveryphase, the service node detects the presence of a device or anapplication through USB, UPnP, SNMP or ICMP protocols. If a clientcomputer 110 is coupled to the service node, the service node or theclient-side process 112 of the client computer checks the router IPtable to determine if there are any connected devices. Other resourcelistings of the client computer may also be used, such as a deviceregistry.

In block 506 it is determined if any unknown wired devices are detected.If there are any unknown devices, the data center is queried todetermine whether the unknown devices are supported, block 508. If thedevice is known to the data center, the appropriate information ispassed back to the service node, otherwise, an error message is flaggedand any product information is noted. At this point, a service providermay be identified and contacted to provide the appropriate information;otherwise, the device is flagged as “identified” and unsupported. Inaddition to wired devices being detected, the service node performs awireless scan of connected devices within range, block 510. In block 512it is determined if any unknown wireless devices are detected. If thereare any unknown devices, the data center is queried to determine whetherthe unknown devices are supported, block 514. If the device is known tothe data center, the appropriate information is passed back to theservice node, otherwise, a system message is generated that an“identified”, but unsupported device has been detected and any productinformation is noted. At this point, a service provider may beidentified and contacted to provide the appropriate information;otherwise, the device is flagged as unsupported. The service node aswell as the agents are listening for new devices as they connect to thehome network. Block 516 indicates the end of the full discovery process.

Once the devices are detected, agents 108 can be installed on eachdevice. In the case where the device or devices are a computer or devicewith a USB port, a physical USB key can be used to install the agentdirectly onto each computer. In one embodiment, the USB key isimplemented in a customized USB flash drive. The key may be implementedas a flash memory device that has the read/write space partitioned awayto prevent use as a standard flash drive by the user. The USB key has ahardware controller to provide enumeration of USB device ports and aninstallation program that is executed locally on the computer to installthe agent and register the computer with the system. The key can beupdated by the service node 104. The key is used for adding new devicesto the network. In general, the first device defined in the network isphysically coupled to the service node through a USB (or equivalent)cable. All subsequent devices are added using the key.

Devices that are not able to use the key are discovered and facilitatedby a remote agent resident in the service node, with a fail-over remoteagent in the client-side process 112 of the PC 110. For devices that donot have a USB port, or sufficient processing power to execute the agentinstallation process from the key, the agent process can be pushed ontothe device through the appropriate wireless or wired protocol. In thiscase, an installation process executed on the service node or the clientcomputer may and may be executed through the service node GUI.

The service node can also be configured to set any wireless securityprotocols defined by the system and/or the wireless devices inconjunction with policies determined in advance by the service provider.As the devices 106 have been properly detected through the discoveryprocess, the data center can build a topographical map of the homenetwork environment. Various operational and setup parameters regardingthe devices are stored in one or more databases in data store 124.

In an embodiment, each device 106 has installed on it an agent process108 that acts as a communication conduit to the service node 104. If theservice node is missing from the system, the installed agents for eachdevice can poll one another and alternate as fail-over domain authorityfor communication to the data center 120. The agents keep track ofrelevant transactions, such as software and device installation/updates,configuration changes, and so, for the device on which they areinstalled. Agents receive instructions from the service node 104, aswell as from the data center 120, as appropriate to policies and localconditions/states, to facilitate management of the devices.

The agent includes two main components: an interface to transfer datafrom the service node to the device, and a cross-platform module. Forhome devices with the appropriate computing/system resources and portconfiguration (e.g., USB), the key is used to install the agent 108. Incertain cases, the key stores all service resource information forexisting devices. Upon installation of a new device, it takes aninventory of the characteristics, operating states, and resources (e.g.,files, input/output ports, etc.) of the device. If any similar devicesare already loaded on the key, certain parameters may be downloaded tothe new device to facilitate configuration. For example, if a second PCis installed, the parameters for shared resources (e.g., files, devices,etc.) from the first PC can be transferred to the second PC through thekey. Once the information is obtained for the new device, it is writtento the registry. The registry is a data structure that contains allrelevant information regarding the device and is a component of thenetwork topography. The registration process consists of writing newdevice data to the registry, as well as informing all other devices inthe network of the existence of the new device. The topography is thenupdated to reflect the new network. This topography defines therelationship among the devices, the characteristics of each device, andpolicies among the devices, such as file/resource sharing, userprivileges, security, and so on. The topography provides not only aphysical mapping of the home network, but an overall operational contextfor each device within the network relative to all other devices in thenetwork. In this manner, the effect of any changes or problems with onedevice can be quickly detected for any other device. This system alsoprovides a comprehensive view for the service provider with regard tothe entire network, as opposed to a particular device. For example, aservice provider may receive a message regarding a problem with aspecific device. Through the topography, the service provider can seeall other devices connected to the device, and may therefore have abetter idea of the problem cause or solution given the context of theentire network.

As the home network is established with discovered devices, and theregistry has been built with definitions of the devices, the ongoingusage activities include monitoring devices, adding new devices,removing devices, updating devices, troubleshooting and repairingdevices, reconfiguring devices, and similar tasks. The ongoing usagetasks can be initiated and performed by the user directly, or they maybe automated with minimal user input.

The configuration of devices within the network can be facilitated bythe use of defined and distributed drivers for such devices. Suchdrivers can be provided by service providers or other third parties, orthey may be defined by the data center. In the case of problems withinstalled devices, problems may be detected by the user, by the deviceitself, and/or by the service node. In certain cases, an autofix routinemay be available to diagnose and fix the problem before a user is everaware. Such a routine may be deployed automatically by the service node,or available from the data center or from the service provider fordeployment from the data center. If an autofix routine is not available,the user may be instructed via the service node to access documentation(e.g., through a website) to try to solve the problem himself or herselfor to contact an appropriate service provider.

One issue surrounding home networks is the addition of new devices. Inpresent systems, a user must often go to great lengths to properlyinstall new devices. Embodiments of the system allow for automatedinstallation of new devices using the service node and data centersystem of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method ofinstalling a new device into a home network, under an embodiment. Inblock 602, the user connects any new wired devices to the service nodeand/or activates the wireless transceiver in the service node forcommunication with any wireless devices within range. The service nodethen pings the new device for any available information, block 604. Inblock 606 it is determined if the new device is recognized. If it is notrecognized, the data center is queried to determine whether the newdevices are supported, block 608. If the device is known to the datacenter, the appropriate information is passed back to the service node,otherwise, an error message is flagged and any product information isnoted. At this point, a service provider may be identified and contactedto provide the appropriate information, otherwise, the new device isflagged as unsupported. Once the device is recognized, the service nodedetermines if the new device is manageable, block 610. If, in block 612it is determined that the device is not manageable, a troubleshootingprocess is performed. Once a the device is recognized and determined tobe manageable, it is installed, typically by loading the appropriatedriver and registering the device with the data center.

FIG. 7 is a table that illustrates actions associated with addition of anew device in a managed home network, under an embodiment. The table ofFIG. 7 provides the processes executed at various stages of the newdevice installation process of FIG. 6, such as in the case where a newdevice is not recognized or determined to be not manageable.

In certain cases, devices in the home network may be desired to beremoved. Device removal may be initiated by the user or by the servicenode or the client-side process 112. The removal of devices typicallyinvolves the identification of devices to be removed and theuninstallation of device drivers and associated software. The networkmap and registry in the data center 120 is then updated to reflect theremoval of the device. The user can then physically remove or otherwisedisable the device. In certain circumstances, a user may wish to removethe device from the managed network, yet still use the device as astandalone device. In this case, the device may be removed from thenetwork or it may be flagged as an unmanaged or disabled device.

The home network management system also implements a monitoring functionto track the operability (health) of the devices and entities of thenetwork. The devices, service node, client computer, agents, datacenter, and communication lines to the service providers can all beconstantly monitored. The relevant databases that stored informationwith each monitored object are also monitored to ensure that informationand update/upgrade information is accurately reflected.

User Interface Implementation

In one embodiment, the service node 104 provides a user interface portalto the managed home system that is accessed through a web browser fromeither a home computer 110, remote computer 140, server computer 122, orthe node device itself 104. The user interface portal provides amechanism for service providers 114, authorized agents (e.g., throughremote client 140), and the data center 120 to view the home LANenvironment 102 and any relevant characteristics of the network. Theuser interface is provided as a series of hierarchical or linked webpages, with any number of subwindows for displaying data objects andrelated information or data entry elements.

FIG. 8 illustrates a first level display page for a web-based userinterface (UI) for the home network portal, under an embodiment. The webpage 800 includes several different display areas that display elementsof the network and, if appropriate, allow user input to enter or getinformation or select other regions of the UI. The main display area 801of web page 800 includes display areas related to the customer orhomeowner, such as account information 802 and customer history 804. Thelower portion of the screen 800 has a home network overview display area806, which displays the topology of the network. The network topologycomprises a representation of the network element (devices andcomputers) in the network as well as their interconnections. It can beprovided as a graphical map, an indexed list, or any similarrepresentation. Also provided in screen 800 is a list of action items808. This display area provides a view for the service provider 114 toview likely issues and provide an indication of why the customer may becalling based on conditions reported by the service node to the datacenter. The display screen 801 also includes a link 810 that providesaccess to the service provider web site. Depending on the number ofservice providers available, any number of links can be provided. Thisdisplay area could also be used to display certain pertinent informationregarding the service provider(s), including, for example contactinformation, configuration instructions, latest patches, and so on.

The display screen 800 is provided only as an example, and it should beunderstood that many other configurations and display elements can beimplemented to embody the UI portal of the home network managementsystem.

The network topology displayed in display area 806 is typically providedin the form of a graphical network map with objects representing thenetwork elements and the physical and/or logical links among the networkelements. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of the display of a networktopology, under an embodiment. For the network topology example 900 ofFIG. 9, a typical home network is shown consisting of a home desktop910, a home notebook 908, and peripheral devices such as a game machine914, and USB device 912. Internet service is provided by an ISP 902, andthe home devices are connected to this network through a modem 904 andinternal (e.g., wireless) router 906. Each graphical device iconrepresents a data object that can be accessed to display specificinformation relating to the device, such as type, manufacturer,operating parameters, status, and other relevant information. Within thenetwork, each device is coupled to at least one other device through awired or wireless link 901. The link icons 901 also represent dataobjects that can be accessed to display specific information relating tothe link, such as link type, status, and other relevant information. Thetopography display can be configured in any number of ways to displayinformation related to each data object. For example, colors and/orshape icons can be displayed in conjunction with data objects to displaystatus information. In an embodiment, colored dots are used with thelink icons to indicate link status. For example, a red-dot on the linkconnection between the modem 904 and the router 906 may indicate aproblem in this link, while a green dot indicates a functioningconnection.

Each data object is a selectable object that provides an additional UIwindow displaying relevant information or providing for user input. Forexample, a user can select the router icon 906 and get specific routerinformation. Clicking on the router icon itself will cause the displayof a separate display page that shows detailed information about therouter. In one embodiment the display area provides tabs to access otherdisplay windows for the UI. For example, one tab can provide a view tothe devices in the network, and another tab can provide a view to theservices in the network.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example web page for a device view of the homenetwork management user interface, under an embodiment. This displayprovides a table 1000 that lists the network elements and associatedinformation. Different classes of network elements can be defined, suchas device, service, link, network, and so on. Each element can have anitem name. The table also displays status information, status level, andany other information, such as date of deployment. In one embodiment,each table entry provides access to additional information relating tothe entry, which can be displayed in the form of a pop-up or overlaywindow, or a link to a new window. As shown in FIG. 10, selecting aparticular table entry indicating a problem (e.g., red link) causes thedisplay of a supplemental display area 1002 that provides additionalinformation, such as diagnostic information or possible solutions to theproblem. The information provided in any such supplemental window can beprovided by a service provider, the system itself, or any appropriatenetwork entity.

The information provided in supplemental display area 1002 may provideinstructions to the user indicating how a problem is to be solved, or itmay provide links or access to utilities that solve the problem. Forexample, a service provider may instruct the user to reboot the routerand provide instructions on how the router is rebooted. Once this stepis performed, the UI includes a utility to update the network databaseand topology. This change can be reflected by display elements, such asturning a link or router from red to green, or some similar indicator.If any changes to the network or other devices are caused by the change,the network UI will be updated accordingly. In this manner, the systemprovides an updated context of the network at all times. The conditionof each device and service relative to all other devices and services istracked, updated, and available for display to any of the networkentities, and especially to the service provider.

It should be noted that the UI display process may use any type ofgraphical indicator to denote the state or change of state or a networkelement, application, or other managed object. For example, icons can bedisplayed as green if operating normally, yellow if a warning conditionexists, and red if there is a failure. The color noted in one or more ofthe web pages indicates this condition.

The network elements within the home network typically comprise devices,which are hardware elements, and services, which can be applications orattributes of the network. FIG. 11 illustrates an example web page for aservices view of the home network management user interface, under anembodiment. As shown in window 1100, services can include operatingsystems, security settings or mechanisms, applications, sharingsettings, quality-of-service (QoS) settings, and utilities. The tableprovides entries that indicate service name, service type, status, anddiagnostic information. The service view provides a picture of all ofthe devices on the network. Services include things experienced by thecustomer. For example, the security service includes spy-ware,anti-virus software, and the like, as well as parental controls andprivileges; and while back-up is a configuration issue plus software ittoo is facilitated as a service.

A principal aspect of the home network management system is theaggregation and provision of data from the home network to relevantentities, such as the service provider. In one embodiment, importantincidences and messages are transmitted through an action item displayarea 808, of the UI of FIG. 8. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of anaction item display area, under an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, theaction item display area lists items in terms of attention level, asindicated by a color (e.g., green, yellow, red). The status of anyparticular item is then displayed along with any possible resolutions.In one embodiment, a service provider can run applications or utilitieson specific devices facilitated by the service node, as part of thediagnostic or resolution process. This could be a service provider's ownutility or one that is commercially available. For the example of FIG.12, the possible resolutions include disk utilities provided by theservice provider, or on site actions performed by a technician.

As shown in FIG. 1, the functionality provided by the service node canbe accessed by a home computer 110, or a remote computer 140. Thisallows the service node to be embodied in a light weight device that issmall, highly mobile, easy to install, and/or relatively inexpensive.This also helps to keep the UI on the service node screen fairly simple.Any detailed display or complicated interaction can take place on theuser's computer 110 or 140. In certain circumstances, a user mayinitiate operation through the service node, but if transaction ordisplay of information becomes too complicated, the user will bedirected to use the main PC screen instead of the service node screen.For this embodiment, the client-side process 112 is the application onthe PC that the user interacts with. This process interfaces directlywith the service node and is a companion to both the service node, aswell as system website. This interface can be configured to have asimilar look and feel to the service node interface, but in general, itallows the user to see more complicated information (like a networktopology map) and control more complicated product features, sincecomputer displays are generally much larger than the display that may beprovided in the service node.

FIG. 13 is an example of a client computer interface screen to theservice node system, under an embodiment. The interface between theclient computer and the service node is typically provided through a webinterface. For the example web page 1300 of FIG. 13, the main displayarea is divided into a device information component 1302 showing apicture of any selected device and the detailed parameters associatedwith the device. The second area displays information regarding the homenetwork and the customer 1304. In general, web page 1300 represents thetop level of a hierarchically organized series of UI pages into thesystem as accessed through the client computer. Many other items ofinformation and elements of user control can be provided through themain web page 1300 or any of the subsequent web pages.

The overall system of FIG. 1 enhances the proactive and reactive supportparadigm for both service providers 114 and their customers because itcreates a holistic end-to-end reference of the home network 102,connected devices 106 and their specific software applications. As amanaged service, the home network management system ensuresrepeatability and efficient deployment since all devices and servicesare deployed by policies which are set by the service provider based onstandards for network operation and device application interoperation.

Profile Index Process

In general, the home network system of FIG. 1 facilitates the managementof digital households by providing both a communication channel and apolicy execution engine. It is a distributed system composed ofcomponents within the user's home, such as the service node (box orcustomer premise equipment), agent software running on user computers ordevices, the GUI running on the home computer, and offsite or backoffice (server) components, such as an automatic configuration server,operational support systems, and business support systems. The servicenode monitors the health of the local home network and its components,and communicates with the back office over secure Internet channels. Theservice node communicates with the agent software and other home devicesover a wireless or wired home network. The GUI software is a stand-aloneor browser based application that acts as a view into the managed home.

The service node subsystem executes processes that simplify managementof the home network, monitors the health of administrative andoperational aspects of the users, devices, applications, and policieswithin the home, executes security policies and integrity checks, andallows for remote process invocation including software updates anddiagnostics. The back office subsystem acts as a repository for thedigital home and executes processes that provide a provisioningmechanism for the service node; store, recommend and execute policies toautomatically update the home, provide an interactive view of themanaged home, and integrate with operational and business supportsystems.

During the course of managed home use, many different services andproducts may be provided to the user. Such products and services mustoften be installed, integrated, maintained, fixed and even uninstalledduring their usable lifetime. This often necessitates a significantamount of communications and instructions from the vendor or serviceprovider to the user, much of which may be automated. The homemanagement system facilitates the provisioning of devices, applicationsand service platforms within the home. Although much communication maybe routine, such as normal status checks or solicitations, criticalcommunication often involves the resolution of issues. The type ofcommunication required, however, varies greatly depending upon the user,the device being used, and the purpose of such usage. The home networkmanagement system includes a process that analyzes characteristicsassociated with different entities within the home, usage patterns forthese entities, and then constructs a hierarchical index model thatfacilitates tailored communication for the various possible entity andusage classes.

In an embodiment, the home network management system includes amonitoring and learning system for automatic issue detection andalerting. This process monitors the activity of users and devices withinthe home, learns usage patterns, obtains certain external market dataand then applies this learning back to the network management system toimprove the digital performance of the home. This system leverages thedata center in network, the service node and client-side processes inthe home, and agent software resident in the intelligent devices in thehome to connect a knowledge base that stores data regarding certain homeentities. A hierarchical index model is used to assign intelligencelevels to these entities based on certain parameters. The indices arethen used to help direct alert messages, instructions, suggestions, andother targeted communications from the network manager or serviceproviders.

A home, business, or location that is managed by a home networkmanagement system may be referred to as a “digital home,” and generallycomprises a number of different managed components. These can includethe household itself, the users or people within the household, thedevices (e.g., computers or appliances) used by these people, theapplications or programs (e.g., software or firmware) running on thesedevices, and the community in which the household exists. Other entitiescan also be defined, depending upon particular applications andimplementation environments. An optimally managed household is generallyone in which each of the users is satisfied with their devices,applications, and level of support with regard to particular tasks andactivities, and to the extent that their budget allows. Thus, althoughone might always want a better machine or tool to do something, aproperly managed household would be one in which the resident devicesand applications are appropriate and adequately supported for the taskat hand, and a replacement or upgrade path is available if necessary ordesired. Such a household can be described as one with a high orrelatively high level of “digital performance,” where the performancereflects the suitability and usefulness of each device, application, orprogram to perform their respective tasks. A home with a high digitalperformance would have devices and applications that are up-to-date,well-maintained and configured to perform their tasks, whereas a homewith a low digital performance might have missing or improper devices toperform certain tasks, or have devices that are outdated orill-maintained. In general, that “satisfaction” of a user with respectto a device reflects the degree to which he or she is happy with thecurrent configuration and installation of the device for a particularuse and given the available budget.

The entities of the managed digital home (household, users, devices,applications, and community) typically partake in different activitiesor tasks with regard to the managed components. For example, a user mayinteract with devices in the household primarily for productivity,(e.g., a professional in a home office) or for entertainment (e.g., astudent in a home). Similarly, a particular device may be used fordifferent purposes, such as a personal computer, which can be used forentertainment or for productivity. In one model of a managed digitalhome the entities of the household are divided into the following usageclasses: networking, productivity, and entertainment. These usageclasses indicate the primary use or task associated with an entitywithin the managed home. The household itself is a collection of devicesand users, and may have different usage classes, depending upon thepredominate function of the devices and/or users within the household.

In one embodiment, an index is applied to the entities and classeswithin the home to provide a metric or measure of the digitalperformance of the managed home. This index may be referred to as a“profile index” and serves to identify and track environment topologies,configurations, application installations, usage, and support detailsfor the home. The index data can then be used to enable serviceproviders to provide optimum service with minimal user input, or toenable automatic processes to monitor and react to service problems, aswell as enable retailers or providers to identify and target salesopportunities within the home. The index data can also be used in apredictive manner to indicate the next likely step in the hierarchy foran entity to help anticipate services or products that might be needed.The profile index consists of a numeric value associated with each usertype and class. FIG. 14 is a table that lists profile indices for usertypes and classes within a managed digital home, under an embodiment. Asshown in table 1400 of FIG. 14, there are five different entities 1402in the managed home: the household, the users, the devices, theapplications, and the community. Other or different entities may also bedefined, depending upon the network environment. Each entity is dividedinto a usage class 1404. These are networking, productivity, andentertainment. Other or different classes may also be defined, dependingupon the network environment. Each class for each user is assigned anumeric index value 1406. For the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the indexvalue ranges from 1 to 8, although practically any range of values canbe used. The index value represents the relative level of satisfactionassociated with an entity with regard to a particular usage class, and ahigher value denotes a higher level of satisfaction.

Many different user profiles exist with varying network, productivity,and entertainment levels. For example, a user who downloads graphics andimages frequently may rank high on network usage but not use it verymuch for either productivity or entertainment; a self-employed personmay rank high on only productivity, investing more time in productivitydevices and applications than the network itself; while audiophiles andgarners may rank very high on entertainment (and probably network) butlow on productivity. There are similar differentiations withinhousehold, device, and application entities. There can be any number ofpermutations of the profile index, even within the each of the fiveentities (e.g., up to 512). In some cases, there will be clustering ofcertain index values, and, in fact, it is likely this clustering thatwill yield some of the most important insights into the entity profiles.

In an embodiment, the profile index scheme utilizes a psychologicalneeds model to map a relative numeric value to a particularpsychological state. One example model is the Maslow index system, whichis based on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of eight psychological needs. TheMaslow model organizes psychological needs in an eight-level hierarchythat ranges from physical, safety, social, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic,self-actualization, and transcendence. The profile index scheme mapsthese needs onto configuration and usage data within a managed digitalhome to generate an index for each entity and usage class combination.

The managed digital home includes a primary network hub (service node)and all digital devices within that network that are managed by agentprocesses. As shown in FIG. 14, the profile index is segmented intothree denoted usage class levels of: networking (connectivity),productivity (communication/data/application), and entertainment(media/gaming). Within each of these three levels, the index usesconfiguration and installation data to assess the entry profile for themanaged household, each user within that household, each device on thatdigital home network, and each application on that device, as well asthe overall community. This assessment can then be used to determine themost efficient and effective consumer experience, support level, andadvice regarding topology, configuration, policy, products, andservices.

In one embodiment, the Maslow hierarchy is applied to each of the userclasses of networking, productivity, and entertainment for generation ofthe profile index of the managed home. FIG. 15A illustrates the mappingof Maslow's hierarchy levels to home networking needs, FIG. 15Billustrates the mapping of Maslow's hierarchy levels to digitalproductivity needs, and FIG. 15C illustrates the mapping of Maslow'shierarchy levels to digital entertainment needs. In each of the tablesof FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C, the general Maslow levels of survival (asrepresented by basic physical needs and safety/security needs), social(as represented by social needs, esteem needs, and cognitive needs), andself actualization (as represented by aesthetic, self-fulfillment andtranscendence) are mapped to particular characteristics associated withthe networking, productivity, or entertainment class.

For the digital home networking needs shown in FIG. 15A, the survivalneeds comprising physical and safety aspects indicate whether the basicinfrastructure (e.g., connections and cabling) are provided and reliablewith respect to consistent connectivity and robustness against securitybreaches. The social needs of the network comprise social, esteem andcognitive aspects that indicate whether the network meets communicationneeds within and outside of the home, and provide control over thenetwork, as well as allows for data integration, such as through mediatransfers among network devices and among different device types. Theself-actualization needs of the network comprise certain aesthetic,self-actualization and transcendence aspects of the network thatindicate whether the network facilitates integration of differentfunctional environments of the digital devices (e.g., entertainment,computing and gaming), as well as the integration of different mediatypes toward the total digital integration of the home, and finally theimplementation of smart home concepts that integrate appliances andelectronics within the home.

For the digital home productivity needs shown in FIG. 15B, the survivalneeds comprising physical and safety aspects indicate whether the basicinfrastructure of devices and applications are available and properlyinstalled, and that the devices and applications are understood and ableto be used. The social needs of the productivity system comprise social,esteem and cognitive aspects that indicate whether the productivitycomponents facilitate sharing of data among entities (people, devices)within the home, provide a feeling of control over the devices andapplications, and enable learning and analysis of data within the home.The self-actualization needs of the productivity devices andapplications comprise certain aesthetic, self-actualization andtranscendence aspects that indicate whether the user has mastery overthe aesthetics of the productivity environment, is able to use theproductivity environment for aspirational objectives, and finally,whether the user is able to influence others with respect toproductivity skills.

For the digital home entertainment needs shown in FIG. 15C, the survivalneeds comprising physical and safety aspects indicate whether the basicinfrastructure of devices and applications are available and properlyinstalled, and that the devices and applications are understood and ableto be used. The social needs of the digital entertainment systemcomprise social, esteem and cognitive aspects that indicate whether theproductivity components facilitate sharing of entertainment resourcesamong entities (people, devices) within the home, provide a feeling ofcontrol over the entertainment devices and applications, and encouragelearning and analysis of entertainment resources. The self-actualizationneeds of the entertainment devices and applications comprise certainaesthetic, self-actualization and transcendence aspects that indicatewhether the user has mastery over the aesthetics of the entertainmentenvironment, is able to use the entertainment environment foraspirational objectives, and finally, whether the user is able toinfluence others with respect to entertainment skills.

The networking, productivity, and entertainment needs for the variousentities of the home, the household, users, devices, applications, andcommunity are analyzed to generate an array of indices that indicate theprofile and level of performance or satisfaction of the digital homeover a wide range of factors. The overall index matrix is illustrated inFIG. 14, and is generated by an index generator process 128 in the datacenter 120 of the system shown in FIG. 1. The index generator process128 is a dynamic process that analyses the home and generates an initialindex matrix based on an initial assessment, and then continuallyupdates the indices based on various factors related to usage of devicesand applications, modifications to the network and home, changes ofusers, behavioral trends, market forces, and any other relevant factors.

FIG. 16 is a process flow diagram that illustrates the creation anddevelopment of a profile index matrix by the index generator process,under an embodiment. The steps of building and modifying the indices ofthe profile index matrix are illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 17.The digital home 1602 is one that has a managed home network systeminstalled, block 1702. The home 1602 has associated with it an inventorydatabase 1604 that stores all of the relevant data associated with theentities within the home, such as user profiles (gender, age, role,hobbies, relationships, occupations, social network background, etc.),device data (e.g., type, make, model, age, etc.), applicationinformation (e.g., platform, name, revision, etc.), and other similardata. This data is processed through one or more analysis processes 1606to generate one or more intermediate databases or data sets 1608. Thisdata is then processed by logic component 1610 to generate the indices1612 that are associated with each of the entities and classes 1622,which results in a profile index matrix, such as shown in FIG. 14.

As shown in FIG. 17, the installation process, or a similarinitialization process for a new home 1602 or a new system installationtriggers an initial profile index assessment, block 1704. This initialassessment is performed through a query of the entities of the householdthrough automatic means, such as a scan of devices and downloads ofdata, as well as manual means, such as direct user input, and theprocessing of this data through the analysis 1606 and logic 1608processes. This initial assessment step generates a first instance ofprofile index matrix 1612. The initial assessment step may be performedby isolating the different entities within the home. In general,isolating the household, devices, and applications is relativelystraight-forward, while isolating the user and community entities mayrequire reconstructive analysis of log-in, device and application usage.

The profile index matrix then self adjusts and updates the variousindices based on several factors, such as usage, network modifications,device and application modifications, changes of or in users, changes ofenvironment or community, market conditions, and other relevant internalor external factors, block 1706. The internal changes within thehousehold typically result in a relatively straightforward update in theprofile index matrix. As users become more familiar and comfortable withdevices and applications, their index value may increase accordinglyalong the index hierarchy depending upon the usage class—networking,productivity, or entertainment. Similarly, if a new user or device isintroduced into the home, its index may start at a low value and thenincrease as it is more fully accepted and integrated into the household.The topology and configuration of the network is also a characteristicthat is often subject to change as devices are added/deleted,applications are loaded/deleted, and device configurations are changed.One important component of the internal factors includes the maintenanceand support history of devices and applications, such as patches andupgrades to applications and firmware/software.

The index values are generally integer values or any other values thatindicate relative ranking along a defined scale. In one embodiment, anarray or matrix of various index values is created and stored for eachusage class for each entity. Alternatively, the integer values may beprocessed to generate a single index value for the entire home. Such anoverall index value may be calculated by taking the average or mean ofall index values, or a weighted average, or any similar calculation. Ina further alternative embodiment, the entire index matrix may be reducedto only a few indices, such as a single index value per usage class, orentity. The single or reduced index matrix can then be used tofacilitate the provision of services or the transmission ofcommunication from third parties on the basis of generalizedcharacteristics rather than specific usage classes for each entity.

The update interval for the self-adjustment mechanism is defined by thesystem and can be set to any time period that is appropriate for thesystem. A different update time period may be selected for differententities and/or different usage classes.

A significant source of external factors that impact the profile indexmatrix is the market or commercial environment for digital devices.Market trends often drive conditions of satisfaction and utility withrespect to usage of digital devices, especially in this increasinglytechnology-driven age. New devices, platforms, applications, and mediaformats are constantly being introduced, and replacement or upgradesoften become desirable, if not downright necessary for continued use andenjoyment of certain home functions. The recent nation-wide upgrade todigital television is a salient example of this situation. As shown inFIG. 16, the profile index generation process includes one or moreprocesses that account for market affects. In an embodiment, an overallmarket profile index 1614 is generated for the digital market thatencompasses a defined environment, as shown in block 1708 of FIG. 17.This can be the entire market of digital homes, or the specific marketof particular user types, devices, or applications, and so on. Theprofile index 1612 is then compared to the market index, block 1710.This comparison operation is used to adjust the profile index togenerate an adjusted market index 1616, block 1712. Various items ofdata, referred to as market aggregate data 1618 can be used to createthe market index and adjust the profile index. These include retail orservice provider trend data that reflect device and application salesand forecasts, service organization support data that reflectinstallation and support issues, and other similar market data.

As shown in FIG. 16, the profile index 1612 and the adjusted marketindex are used to continually adjust the indices associated with theentities and usage classes 1622. The user experiences generate usagedata 1626 can be used to update the indices associated with theapplication and device classes. The service organization data fromcustomer service or professional installation providers generatessupport history data 1628 that can be used to update the indicesassociated with the user, device, and application classes. Similarly,recommendations regarding topologies and configurations generatetopology/configuration data 1630 that can be used to update thehousehold and community indices. These index upgrade processesillustrated in FIG. 16 are intended as examples, and many other datasets and upgrade paths are possible, depending on home and networkinstallation environments.

In one embodiment the initial adoption of managed home networks can havean effect on subsequent home networks, and this affect may also bereflected as a source of adjustment of the profile indices. For theembodiment of FIG. 16, a potentiometer function 1624 is provided thataccounts for the fact that increased adoption of a managed home networkmay outpace the general market. An initially installed base of managedhomes may skew the market data, and the potentiometer function 1624 canbe used to reduce the effect of such managed homes relative to the restof the market. As the number of managed homes in an environment orcommunity increases, the potentiometer offset may be less necessary.This adjustment to the profile index is reflected in block 1714 of FIG.17.

For the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16, in an initial assessmentprocess, a first array of indices is produced. The monitoring and indexgeneration process on the server computer continuously reassess theprofile index matrix and factors in usage and support data, as well asexternal market data, and uses this evolutionary knowledge tomore-accurately target consumer experience, required support, as well aspredict additional product and service needs within the managed digitalhome. Initial system data may be generated through market research orsimilar information gathering techniques that compile statistical datafrom industry sources to build out a profile index of standard normativeparameter values. After the initial matrix is built, a collection ofunique data collection and benchmarking methods are used to continuallymeasure against this standard or defined matrix to determine theevolving profile index for every managed digital home. The systemincludes a set of analysis and logic components that compile and sortvarious data items to create the profile index. FIG. 18 is a flowdiagram illustrating the creation of a profile index throughlogic/analysis components and data base structures, under an embodiment.The flow diagram of FIG. 18 provides a more detailed view of theanalysis 1606, logic 1610 and database structures 1608 of FIG. 16. Theprofile index 1830 of system 1800 and 1832 consists of five entities(household, user, device, appliance, community), each consisting ofthree separate usage classes for network, productivity, andentertainment. The hierarchy of networking, productivity, andentertainment topology and usage is assessed based on variousparameters, such as, topology, installation, configuration, usage, andsupport history.

As shown in FIG. 18, a management/analysis/collection component 1802compiles data to populate a household inventory database 1804. Initialdata can be generated through an installation process that triggersinitial assessment, as described earlier with respect to FIG. 17. Theinventory database 1804 stores information related to the physical andlogical assets in the home network. This data can include device or usernames, IP addresses, node identifiers, make, model, device, patch,network topography, and other relevant items of information. For theembodiment of FIG. 18, the inventory database 1804 is accessed through aquery process to create a staging database 1806 that is a subset ofinventory database 1804.

In block 1812, data is extracted from the staging database 1806, and afirst level analysis process 1812 comprising certain logic functions isexecuted on the data based on parameters and satisfaction criteriaembodied within classification instructions. The first level analysisprocess 1812 executes one or more functions denoted ƒ( . . . ), wherethe parameters of the functions include logic related to various aspectsof the network and/or devices such as topology, security, reliability,usage, network traffic, and the like. This data may represented by anynumber of relevant data items, such packet traffic, login/logoutinformation, number of interruptions, failures, number of troubletickets open, and so on. The output of the first level analysiscomponent 1812 is input to a data store denoted database 1, 1808.

In an initial deployment, the first level analysis process 1812typically determines the topology of the network. In this case, thearguments of the function ƒ( . . . ) comprise parameters related to thetopography of the network such as network node numbers, device IDs, pathidentifiers, routing information, and so on.

As shown in FIG. 18, the data from the first level analysis component1812 is run through a second level analysis component 1814, whichcomprises classification instructions for different parameters (e.g.,usage, support, satisfaction, etc.) to generate a second database,denoted database 2, 1810. The second level analysis process executes oneor more functions denoted ƒ′( . . . ). In an initial deployment, thesecond level analysis process 1812 typically determines the usage of thenetwork. In this case, the arguments of the function ƒ′( . . . )comprise parameters related to the usage of the network devices such ason/off time, bandwidth utilization, idle time, and so on.

The resulting data from this analysis component is then processedthrough logic component 1816, which contains instructions that organizethe data in a hierarchy of indices 1818 for entities and usage classes1830 in the home network. Thus, data matrix 1818 is a superset of theprofile index matrix 1832 for the home network. In one embodiment, thematrix data 1818 comprises an index value for each entity and usageclass 1830. This data is processed through a series of comparison anddata mining processes to self-adjust as the household evolves in timeand through external factors to generate the profile index matrix 1832.Internal evolution includes usage patterns and internal device and userchanges, while external data includes changes in the overall digitalmarketplace (e.g., new technology, media, devices, etc.) or conditions(e.g., viruses, security alerts, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 18, the matrix data 1818 is input to logic process 1824that populates both the first and second databases 1808 and 1810. Logicprocess 1824 includes rules and instructions that account for internalusage and behavior trends to modify the data. This logic process 1824also creates an instance of the profile matrix 1832.

The external data is generated through a market index process 1829,which compiles market and industry data relevant to the entities andusage classes 1830. The output of the market index process 1829 isprocessed through logic component 1826 to populate or modify the datastored in staging database 1826. Thus staging database 1806 includesdata from the household inventory database 1804, which has been modifiedto reflect the external factors. Information regarding the household isstored in a central inventory database, and the system continuouslymonitors the household to modify the data. This data is analyzed,indexed, and then plugged into a hierarchical model to represent variouscharacteristics of the network such as satisfaction, performance, andproductivity levels. The hierarchical structure is basically apsychological mapping that reflects satisfaction along a continuum ofpsychological needs. The levels progress from security to social, andthen to esteem based on a knowledge base analysis. This index hierarchyis used to modify how a party communicates with the network, and allowsvendors or service providers to match promotions messages to actualusage within the network.

The market index process 1829 and logic components 1824 and 1826 providea feedback loop within the system that modifies the index matrix basedon usage, topography, and external factors. In an embodiment, the matrixdata 1818 is organized in a hierarchical value structure according tothe Maslow model, or similar scheme to help direct alerts andresolutions, or other transmissions to the network. For the embodimentof FIG. 18, the matrix data 1818 is processed through a multi-variablecalculus (MVC) process 1820 to generate one or more reports 1822 thatmay display various characteristics (e.g., usage, satisfaction,problems, threats, etc) over time.

In general, the indices are used to direct alert messages, instructions,or take an action, such as retrieve a product or install a service). Theindex model represents an implementation of a targeted facility forproviding communications from a network manager or service providers.The index model can provide a prediction of what a user or household mayneed, and thus facilitate proactive support and provision of productsand services. Such a prediction may be provided by the trend of movementalong the index hierarchy, and the needs of users in similarlyhierarchical rankings. For example, as a user moves towards a higherranking (e.g., aesthetic), the system may provide a mechanism topre-fetch drivers or software used by other users in that rank, and makethem available to the user immediately upon the user attaining thatranking.

As shown in FIG. 18, in an embodiment, the overall analysis processcomprises first and second level analysis components 1812 and 1814 thatwork in conjunction with certain logic components. The analysiscomponents 1812 and 1814 determine certain characteristics or parametersassociated with the network and the individual elements within thenetwork, such as devices, paths, and users. In an example of analysisfunctionality, a first level of analysis performed by analysis component1812 could be to determine the overall network topology, that is, todetermine what hardware and software the consumer has in the house. Thisinformation is then used to determine whether the house leans moretoward productivity, entertainment, or networking. For example, ahousehold with four computers but no gaming devices and only one routerwould likely be identified as a productivity household. Likewise, ahousehold with a sophisticated network infrastructure with multipleaccess points and an NAS (network-attached storage) device would likelybe identified as leaning toward a networking household, just as a housewith two gaming systems and a networked music system but withoutsophisticated networking infrastructure would likely be identified asentertainment.

Once the topology has been determined and characterized, the secondlevel analysis component 1814 identifies additional informationregarding the network. In an embodiment, this level of analysis candetermine the usage of the network devices. For example, if it isdetermined that the house has only one gaming system but that gamingsystem uses majority of the network resources (bandwidth), the systemwould decide that even if the household itself looked like aproductivity household, the actual usage was skewing it toward anentertainment household. This identification could then yieldrecommendations to determine what the homeowner's true desire was withregard to network use. If the homeowner did want to use his home networkprimarily for productivity but had a member who was a gamer, there couldbe a recommendation of ways to limit gaming usage during times whenproductivity was important. Likewise, if the household was trulyevolving to more of an entertainment household, there may berecommendations of other related home network gaming devices orproviding advance notice for the new devices (e.g., network televisions)that might be made available.

Another example of second level analysis would be support issues. Forexample, if the home is primarily a productivity home and the consumerhas many support issues for an old printer that needs upgrading, herecould be a recommendation for a more effective printer or even a morecost efficient printer where the consumer would spend less money on inkcartridges. This recommendation would be drawn from printer usageinformation.

In one embodiment, the analysis components and processing logic comprisecertain software routines or algorithms that are dynamic and evolve withindustry data, usage data, and other relevant factors. For example, whennetworked televisions are available on the market, their adoption willshift “entertainment” households (i.e., households that are set more forindividual entertainment experiences) to a “network” household (i.e.,households that rely on a functioning network to realize the full extentof their entertainment systems. An example of this is a household thatstores images on a network-attached storage device or households thathave moved to networked music systems (e.g., wireless multi-room musicsystems). Support data will also influence these algorithms. Forexample, as the established based of managed home networks expands,there will be an ever-growing body of analytic data available regardingsupport challenges of various types of households. Over time dataregarding best practices regarding how to support these challenges willalso be developed. The analysis and logic algorithms will evolve withthis data, as well. The analysis and logic algorithms will thus beprogrammed with initial rule sets and default data models to coverinitial topography conditions and usage patterns, but are adaptive sothat they evolve based on accumulated market, household, and installedbase data, as well as other relevant data.

The categorization of entities along the five defined types (household,user, device, application, and community) and the breakdown of each ofthese entities into usage classes (network, productivity, entertainment)provides a comprehensive map of the overall digital home. The assigningof index values to each of these items along a hierarchical modelreflecting psychological needs then provides an effective mechanism togenerate and route targeted communication. For example, there may befour printers within a house, some of which may be used just to printphotos taken from a digital camera. The usage class of this printer willthen differ from that of other printers, as it may represent a devicegeared more for entertainment versus productivity, for example. This maylead to different recommendations depending on the index value of thisprinter, as applied to the usage varies over the course of its life inthe home. The hierarchical ranking of index values within the Maslowmodel provides a mechanism whereby issues and satisfactions can betracked and stored. For example, as use of a device becomes moreprevalent, the index may move up the hierarchy from basic needs tocognitive needs, in which case, the alerts or targeted communicationsmay change from basic setup information to more esoteric usageinformation (e.g., invitation to user groups, forums, wilds, and so on).If an external threat to a particular device is present (e.g., malware,virus, etc.), the index value may shift relative to an initial index(e.g., a drop down to safety from esteem), which may prompt a new ordifferent type of communication (e.g., warning, anti-virus patch, etc.).

The profile index system described above catalyzes a user to evolve withthe digital home, and further facilitates support from partner serviceorganizations by providing partner retail channels and service providers(e.g., ISP) with target sales opportunities based on the user needs. Thegeneralized aggregate data from the index matrix has value as predictivedigital home market data for retail and ISP channels, serviceorganizations, product manufacturers, and application developers. Italso helps maximize a user's satisfaction with the home networkingenvironment by providing accurate usage and maintenance data tostreamline the delivery of upgrades, patches, fixes, and supportinformation for all of the smart devices within the home.

The systems and methods described herein include and/or run under and/orin association with a processing system. The processing system includesany collection of processor-based devices or computing devices operatingtogether, or components of processing systems or devices, as is known inthe art. For example, the processing system can include one or more of aportable computer, portable communication device operating in acommunication network, and/or a network server. The portable computercan be any of a number and/or combination of devices selected from amongpersonal computers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants,portable computing devices, and portable communication devices, but isnot so limited. The processing system can include components within alarger computer system.

The processing system of an embodiment includes at least one processorand at least one memory device or subsystem. The processing system canalso include or be coupled to at least one database. The term“processor” as generally used herein refers to any logic processingunit, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs), digitalsignal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits(ASIC), etc. The processor and memory can be monolithically integratedonto a single chip, distributed among a number of chips or components,and/or provided by some combination of algorithms. The methods describedherein can be implemented in one or more of software algorithm(s),programs, firmware, hardware, components, circuitry, in any combination.

Components of the systems and methods described herein can be locatedtogether or in separate locations. Communication paths couple thecomponents and include any medium for communicating or transferringfiles among the components. The communication paths include wirelessconnections, wired connections, and hybrid wireless/wired connections.The communication paths also include couplings or connections tonetworks including local area networks (LANs), metropolitan areanetworks (MANS), wide area networks (WANs), proprietary networks,interoffice or backend networks, and the Internet. Furthermore, thecommunication paths include removable fixed mediums like floppy disks,hard disk drives, and CD-ROM disks, as well as flash RAM, UniversalSerial Bus (USB) connections, RS-232 connections, telephone lines,buses, and electronic mail messages.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to beconstrued in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustivesense; that is to say, in a sense of “including, but not limited to.”Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural orsingular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,”“hereunder,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import refer to thisapplication as a whole and not to any particular portions of thisapplication. When the word “or” is used in reference to a list of two ormore items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of theword: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and anycombination of the items in the list.

The above description of embodiments of the systems and methodsdescribed herein is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thesystems and methods described to the precise form disclosed. Whilespecific embodiments of, and examples for, the systems and methodsdescribed herein are described herein for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of other systemsand methods, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Theteachings of the systems and methods described herein provided hereincan be applied to other processing systems and methods, not only for thesystems and methods described above.

The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can becombined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can bemade to the systems and methods described herein in light of the abovedetailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of automatically detecting issues andfacilitating the transmission of alert messages in a home networkconsisting of a plurality of consumer electronic devices coupled to aservice node, the method comprising: storing information regarding homeentities in an inventory database, the entities comprising thehousehold, one or more users within the household, devices in thehousehold, applications running on the devices, and a community of whichthe household is included; defining usage classes for each entity, theusage classes denoting a primary function associated with an entity, andcomprising networking, productivity, and entertainment; assigning anindex value to each usage class for each entity, the index valuecomprising an integer value within a fixed range, and reflecting arelative level of satisfaction associated with the entity for eachrespective usage class; monitoring data regarding usage trends,performance characteristics, and external variables associated with theentities; modifying one or more of the index values based on themonitored data; and facilitating the transmission of messages regardingservices or products related to the entities of the home from one ormore parties, wherein the messages are conformed to index values.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the index values are arranged as an indexmatrix, and wherein the hierarchical index model comprises apsychological needs model.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein thepsychological needs model comprises the Maslow hierarchical model. 4.The method of claim 1 wherein the external variables comprise marketconditions associated with a respective entity.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein the parties are selected from the group consisting of: a networkadministrator, a manufacturer or provider of one or more of the productsor services, a retailer of one or more of the products or services, andan independent service provider associated with one or more of theproducts or services.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the messagescomprise targeted solicitations regarding replacement or upgradedproducts or services.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the messagescomprise one of: instructions, bug fixes, diagnostic information, oralert messages for one or more of the products and services.
 8. Themethod of claim 2 wherein the household comprises a network ofelectronic devices compatible with a defined communication protocol, themethod comprising: executing a discovery routine to discover compatibledevices of the plurality of devices in the network; performing a searchof devices in a database stored in a data center for devices in thenetwork that are not compatible; loading an agent process into eachdevice of the discovered compatible devices for local execution on therespective device, the agent process communicating with the service toprovide operational data relating to the respective device, and whereinthe agent provides fail-over for critical communication and servicesystems of the service node and proxy communication to a data center;storing device parameters of discovered compatible devices in aregistry; and determining logical and physical interconnections amongthe plurality of devices in the network; and generating a networktopography comprising the registry data and the logical and physicalinterconnection data.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein each device ofthe plurality of devices is coupled to the service node through one of awired link or a wireless link, and wherein the compatible devicesconform to one of the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol, UDP,TCP-IP, Zero-conf, HTTP, or HTTPS.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein theagent process is configured to interact with a control process executedon the service node to allow management of the respective device by theservice node, wherein management includes monitoring the respectivedevice, detecting problems, performing device troubleshooting, removingthe respective device, and updating the respective device.
 11. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising interfacing with at least oneservice provider, the interface providing the network topology tofacilitate servicing of a device based on the network context of thedevice and the index values of the profile index matrix.
 12. The methodof claim 11 further comprising interfacing the service node to the datacenter over a network, the data center including at least one serverexecuting an automatic configuration process for provisioning andmaintaining the service node, and an operational support softwareprocess for maintaining programs executed by the plurality of devices,the data center further comprising a data store configured to storeoperational data related to the plurality of devices.
 13. An apparatusfor facilitating management of a home network including consumerdevices, comprising: a service node including one or more communicationlinks to a plurality of devices deployed in a home environment, whereineach of the plurality of devices executes a respective agent processthat provides configuration information regarding the device to theservice node, and wherein the configuration information is stored in adevice registry; a data center coupled to the service node andconfigured to store device parameter information in the device registry,and to generate a network topology representing operationalcharacteristics of the devices and interconnection information among thedevices; and an index generation process configured to define one ormore entities within the home network and one or more usage classes foreach entity, extract data from the network corresponding to usagecharacteristics, and operational issues associated with the entities,assign an index value to each usage class for each entity based on theextracted data to generate a profile index matrix, obtain market datafor at least one of the one or more entities, and modify the index valuefor the at least one entity based on the market data.
 14. The apparatusof claim 13 wherein the index value is an integer value representing arelative level of satisfaction of an entity with a respective usageclass.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the index matrix implementsa hierarchical index model comprising a psychological needs model. 16.The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the entities are selected from thegroup consisting of household, users within the household, devicesoperated by the users, applications loaded onto the devices, and acommunity in which the household is located.
 17. The apparatus of claim16 wherein the usage classes represent a functionality associated witheach entity of the one or more entities and comprise networking,productivity, and entertainment.
 18. The apparatus of claim 13 furthercomprising an interface to one or more service providers providingdevice support information, the interface providing the network topologyto facilitate servicing of a device based on the network context of thedevice and the index matrix, wherein the method further comprisesfacilitating the transmission of messages regarding services or productsrelated to the entities of the home from one or more service providers,wherein the messages are conformed to index values.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 18 wherein the messages are selected from the group consisting oftargeted solicitations regarding replacement or upgraded products orservices, instructions, bug fixes, diagnostic information, and alertmessages for one or more of the products and services.
 20. The apparatusof claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the plurality of devices iscoupled to the service node through one of a wired connection or awireless connection, and wherein the interconnection informationcomprises at least one of physical interconnection information andlogical interconnection information.
 21. The apparatus of claim 13wherein each device of the plurality of devices is an active device thatis capable of storing and executing software program, and wherein eachof the plurality of devices is a consumer electronic device.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 21 wherein the data center includes at least oneserver executing an automatic configuration process for provisioning andmaintaining the service node, and an operational support softwareprocess for maintaining programs executed by the plurality of devices,the data center further comprising a data store configured to storeoperational data related to the plurality of devices and the networktopology.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the management tasksinclude discovering devices in the network, adding new devices to thenetwork, removing devices from the network, and monitoring the pluralityof devices in the network.
 24. The apparatus of claim 13 furthercomprising: a plurality of device drivers, each device driver configuredfor integrated operation of a respective device of a plurality ofdevices within the home; a registry data structure storing operatingparameters for each device of the plurality of devices, the registrydata structure used to generate a network topology representingoperational characteristics of the devices and interconnectioninformation among the devices; a plurality of transmission modules, eachtransmission module configured to communication with a device of theplurality of devices using a corresponding transmission protocol; agraphical user interface process for controlling the display of deviceparameters to a user; and a kernel process coordinating processing taskswithin the apparatus.